Cooling system for buildings



\ 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 12, 1940 INVENTOR.

jail 5, 1943. R. w. R!CHARDS 2,307,422

COOLING QYSTEM FOR BUI LDII IGS Filed Sept. 12, 1940 2 Sheets-Shut 2 i I INVENTOR. 14 06527 14/ @wmeas Patented Jan. 5, 1943 U NiTED sTAras PATEN 3 Claims.

This invention j relates to an apparatus and system for cooling buildings and has for its principal object the provision of a cooling system which will employ the steam radiators that are ordinarily employed for heat, as a cooling unit to cool the rooms of a building during hot weather. I

Other objects of the invention are to provide means for gathering and employing the condensation from the cooling units to wash and clean incoming air; to employ the ordinary steam heating pipesas a jacket for insulating and protecting the piping conveying the cooling medium; to provide means for admitting air from the exterior and discharging air from the interior in which the heat of the incoming air will be transferred to the outgoing air so as to reduce the accumulation of outside heat to a minimum; and to provide a system and mechanism which will not corrode the steam heating piping and equipment.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efliciency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the in its entirety by the numeral I8, of any suitable type. The refrigeration unit expands its refrigerating fluid into a cooling coil H! which is installed in an adjacent cooling tank 20. A second compressor unit 2| is installed in the basement with its intake connected into the return lin [6 of thesteam heating system by means of a mole-- ture trap 44 and a by-pass pipe 22 controlled by means of a valve 23.

Any suitable gaseous compound or element may be employed in this system as the heat transfer medium. It is preferred, however, to employ a invention reference is had to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts-in all views of the drawings and throughout the description.

In the drawings:

) Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical section through a typical building illustrating the invention placed therein.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the radiator portion of the invention.

Figs. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, longitudi nal section through a radiator and'its housing.

taken on the line 3--3, Fig. 4..

Fig. 4 is a cross section through a radiator, taken on the line 4-4, Fig. 3.

. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view, partially in section, of a heat-exchanging air conduit employed in the invention.

In Fig. 1, various typical parts of a building. and its steam heating plant are designated by numerals as follows: basement I0, outer wall ll, floors l2, heating boiler l3, steam main i4, main steam valve l5, radiator return piping I 6, steam radiators I1, return valve 24, radiator valves 3|, and radiator traps 56.

The present invention makes use of the present steam equipment for cooling purposes in warm weather. This is accomplished by installing, in the basement ID, a refrigeration unit, designated non-oxidizing and non-corrosive gas such as helium. Helium is highly satisfactory for this purpose since it has no corrosive effects on the piping or radiators and since it has no harmful effects on human beings should a leak develop in the system.

Air could be employed, but when using air, there is a tendency to accelerate corrosion and oxidation on the steam radiator equipment from the moisture therein. Whatever is used, however, will be herein designated as the cooling medium. I

The cooling medium is compressed in the compressor 2| and forced under pressure through a pressure pipe 25, controlled by a valve 26, into the cooling tank 20. The chilled cooling medium flows from the tank 20 through a cooling main controlled by a main valve 28. The cooling main 2'! is of relatively small pipe or tubing and passes directly into the interior of the steam main l4 through any suitable reducing pipe ntting 29. It continues through the interior of the main to each of the steam radiators I! in the building. Adjacent each radiator, the cooling main exits from the steam main through a suit-- able packed fitting 30 placed ahead of the radiator control valve 3|.

An expansion tube 32 is extended throughout the length of the radiator IT. This tube may be inserted through a separate opening in the radiator or may be inserted through the same opena ing that the steam enters the radiator. The latter method is'illustrated in Fig. 1. The cooling main is connected to the expansion tube 32. The flow to the latter is controlled by a cooling valve 33. The expansion tube 32 is provided within the radiator with a series of very small discharge orifices. There is preferably one orifice directed into each of the sections of the radiators I! as indicated at 34, Fig. 6.

The operation of the system as thus far described is as followsrThe main steam valve IS, the return valve 24, and the radiator-valves 3| T o Ficg are closed. The valves 23, 26, 28, and 33 are opened. The refrigeration unit cools the cooling coil 19 and, of course, cools the entire interior of the cooling tank 20. The cooling medium under high compression fiows through the interior of the tank 20 and thence discharges through the cooling mains 21 by means of which it is carried to the various radiators in the building. At each radiator, this cold, highly compressed, gaseous medium is expanded at each of the orifices 34 into each of the cells of the radiators IT.

The expanded gases are drawn from the radiators through the return piping l6 by the suction of the compressor 2|. This maintains a partial vacuum in each radiator which facilitates the expansion of the cooling medium and increases the cooling efiiciency. Each radiator in the building, therefore, will quickly drop to an exceedingly low temperature.

The radiator temperature is so low that it will create frost and ice on the radiator from the natural humidity of the air in the building. Some means must therefore be provided to handle this condensate. This is accomplished by enclosing each radiator in a housing 35 having air discharge ports 36'adjacent its top. Air is constantly forced into the housing by means of a suitable electrically operated blower 31 which communicates with the bottom of the housing through a suitable air conduit 38.

In some installations the circulation of the air through the housing will be sufiicient to remove the frost and ice from the radiator and maintain the room air at the proper humidified point.

In other installations where the natural air is very humid, there will be a-constant dripping of water from the radiator IT. This water is collected in a collecting pan 39 at the bottom of each housing 35. The water level in the pan is controlled by means of a valve float 40 which, when it rises to a certain predetermined point, opens a drain valve 4| to a drain pipe 42. The drain pipe from each radiator opensinto the return piping l6 from that radiator and is controlled by means of a suitable water valve 43. The returning water from the return piping I6 is separated and collected by the trap 44 in the basement, where it is removed from the fiow of the refrigeration medium. By such an arrangement, the condensate from the radiator which is constantly removed results in a, dehumidifylng .Of the room air.

In very dry climates, it may be desirable to return a portionof the moisture of the air. This is accomplished by connecting the air conduit 38 into the drain pan 39 below the water level thereof so that the air can bubble up through the water. The bubbles are broken by a first splash screen 45 positioned immediately above the water in the pan 39 and by a second splash screen 46 positioned mid-way in the height of the housing 35. The first screen prevents the water from splashing over the top of the pan. The second screen removes any drops of water from theair fiow before it discharges from the ports 36. The air is still further dehumidified by contact with cold radiator surface.

In exceedingly dry climate there will not be sufiicient condensate on the radiator to maintain the pan 39 filled. In such cases a water pipe 41 is installed to each of the pans 39. This pipe may connect with the city water system and may be controlled by the fioat 40', which also controls the drain valve 4|, through the medium of a needle valve 48 positioned above the fioat so that when the latter lowers to a predetermined point, as shown in Fig. 4, it will close the drain valve 4i and open the needle valve 48 to maintain a predetermined water level in the pan 39.

It is preferred to enclose the entire float and drain valve mechanism in a suitable collecting screen 49 to prevent accumulating debris from clogging the valve.

As thus far described, the system has been designed ior recirculation of the room air. It is also provided with means for intaking exterior air. Thisis accomplished by forming air intake openings 59 through the exterior wall I l of the build g and connecting these openings with the intakes of the blowers 31.

A suitable fiap valve 5| is employed to control the opening 59 and also an interior intake opening 52 to the interior of the room. Thus, by adjusting the valve 5|, either or both interior or exterior air may be admitted to the blower 31.

Naturally, when additional air is forced into the room surplus air must be allowed to -exit from the room. The exiting air is cold and the incoming air is warm. Therefore, there is an expensive loss of refrigeration between the two flows. A means is provided. therefore, to exchange the heat of the incoming air to the cold outgoing air.

This is accomplished by means of a heat exchanging conduit 6l which is divided into a plurality of parallel passages by means of longitudinal partitions 53 extending from the opening 50 to the blower 31. The partitions are preferably provided with heat exchange fins 54. The alternate passages are intake passages and communicate betweenthe openings 50 and the intake of the blower 31 for incoming air. Each intermediate passage is an exhaust passage and communi cates between the opening 50 and ports 55 opening to the room to accommodate the exiting air from the room. The warm incoming air will transfer its heat to the fins 54 and partitions 53 and this heat will be collected by the outgoing air and carried from the room with verylittle loss of efiiciency.

- The heat which is removed from the rooms is radiated from the, compressor 2| and from the refrigerating unit I 8. This heat may be conducted away by enclosing these units in suitable enclosing housings from which the heat may be conducted to the exterior of the building. As illustrated, the heated air from these units is conducted from the basement l0 into the smoke stack 51 of the heating boiler l3 through an intake 58 controlled by means of a suitable damper 59. The stack carries the hot air to the exterior of the building. Additional air is admitted to the basement from the exterior in any desired way.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is desired to be understood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims. :vithout departing from the spirit of the invenion.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Means for cooling a room in which a steam radiatoris employed and having a steam pipe for conducting steam to said radiator comprising: a refrigerating unit for refrigerating a gaseous, cooling medium; a conduit for said medium ex tending to a position adjacent said radiator through the interior of said steam pipe; means for compressing said refrigerated cooling medium in said conduit; and means for expanding said chilled medium within said radiator.

2. A refrigerating system for buildings of the type having steam radiators and steam mains for conducting steam to said radiators comprising: a refrigeration unit for refrigerating a gaseous cooling medium; a cooling chamber arranged to be cooled by said refrigeration unit; a compressor for forcing a compressed gaseous cooling medium through said cooling chamber; means for conducting said chilled cooling medium to said radiator; mea I, for expanding said compressed cooling medium within said radiator; a conduit for/ returning ,the expanded cooling medium to said compressor, said first conduit being positioned within the steam mains; and a valve for controlling the first conduit independent of the steam mains.

3. In a steam heating system for buildings having steam radiators with steam mains leading to said radiators and drain lines leading from said radiators, means for circulating a cooling medium through said radiators comprising: a plant for refrigerating said medium; a conduit extending from the refrigerating plant to the radiators in the hollow interiors of the said steam mains; and a suction device connected to said drain lines for withdrawing the cooling medium therefrom after it has passed through said radiators and returning same to said'refrigeration plant.

ROBERT W. RICHARDS. 

